Marc Anthony to join “X Factor” as celebrity mentor

Popular singing competition “X Factor” will be getting a double dose of Latino star power this season with the news that Marc Anthony will be a mentor on the hit show.

The Puerto Rican crooner has just signed a deal with the FOX talent show that will have him appear as a mentor on season two, TMZ reports. The contract doesn’t come as a surprise to sources close to Anthony, who told TMZ that he and executive producer Simon Cowell have been “friends for years.”

Anthony, 43, will appear on the show opposite Demi Lovato, 20, who is one of four judges on the show alongside pop icon Britney Spears, record producer L. A. Reid and Cowell.

Joining Anthony as a mentor on the show is teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. A total of four celebrity mentors will be assigned to the judges on the show and will offer practical advice to the would-be singing sensations.

No word yet as to the remaining celebrities to be tapped as mentors, but there’s little doubt that Anthony – as a two-time Grammy award winner – will add years of expertise to the show, which hits the small screen with a two-night premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 12 and Thursday, Sept. 13.

It won’t be the first time Anthony doled out advice on a singing competition: earlier this year, he paired up with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez on the Latin talent search show “Q’Viva!”